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Grave Monuments and Landscape in South- Eastern Sweden

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Grave Monuments and Landscape in South- Eastern Sweden Grave Monuments and Landscape in South- Eastern Sweden BY DAG \y.IDHOLM AND JOACUTU RrCNn[ Widholm, Dag&Regndll,Joachim.200l. GraueMonumenx and Landscape insouth-Easternsweden. Abstract Lund Archaeological Reuieu 7 (2001), pp. 2949. During the last decade several scholars have analysed the meaning and importance of agriculture for the development of Late Bronze Age sociery. The present article has a staning poinr in pollen analyses performed at two sites in the province of Smiland. The interpretation has a focus on one of the sites - the Bronze Age grave cemeteries of Snlckedal, Misterhult parish - which stands out as an extremely monumental site, yet totally without traces of agriculture, pasture or orher kinds of human impact in prehistoric time. These results are compared to recent research on similar features in the Baltic region. The article concludes with an interpretation of differences in the perception of monumentaliry berween modern and prehistoric societies. Special attention is given to the symbolism ofthe grave constructions, above all the meaning ofships and houses in the Bronze Age grave ritual ofnorthern Europe. The fieldwork and pollen analysis have been made possible by grants from Birgit and Gad Rausingt Foundation for Humanistic Research. DagWidholm, Department ofHumanities and Social Sciences, Kalmar (Jniaersity College, Linnigatan 5, SE-391 82 Kalrnar. Joachina Regnill, Department ofMathematics and Natural Sciences, Kristianstad Uniuersitlt, SE-291 BB Kristianstad. Introduction hypothetical dialectical relationship berween a cult centre and the contemporary development This paper treats of the relationship between of the cultural landscape. grave structures, agricultural development and The areas now covered by Gamleby and prehistoric perception oflandscape. The area of Misterhult constitute rwo central parts of the investigation is situated in the north-easrern Bronze Age settlement district, as is clear from a part of the province of Smiland, and it extends survey of cairns with a diameter of not less than over the parishes of Misterhult and Gamleby, l0 metres (Fig. 2). Gamleby parish belongs to both of which are situated on the coast, at a the hundred ofTjust, which attracted attention distance of 60 km from each other (Fig. 1). The at an early stage in BronzeAge research (Hansson chronological framework of the investigarion is 1936; Ekelund 1960). Tjust, which in modern the Bronze Age. The primary issue concerns a administrative terminology corresponds to the 29 ;(-'l ,J / I t I { \ I {. ( iln t/ .1-4 a 25-(46) Fig. 2. Distribution of cairns with a diameter of at least 10 m (from Hyenstrand 1974). Fig. 1. Area ofthe present investigation in the north- eastern part ofthe province ofSmiland, south-eastern Sweden. comprises a very big territory, which consists of mountainous terrain, with limited area for rural district ofVdstervik, is also one of the well- farming and pasture. The limited potendal for known areas of Swedish rock carvings, and as supply has therefore led to an interpretation of such it has been the subject of special study the magnificent grave fields as a ritually (Friberg 1966; Magnusson 1989). The Bronze determined central place, where outstanding Age of Misterhult parish, on the other hand, has persons within a large area of surrounding not been observed until recently, as a result of country were buried. The prominent prehistoric the national inventory of ancient monuments landscape surrounding Vlstervik, on the other (Magnusson 1986). The lack of interest in that hand, has been interpreted as a rich Bronze Age area in previous research is rather strange, above area, but with a conventional technique for all considering the monumental aspect and the supplyas a base for prehistoricpopulation density. frequency of Bronze Age sites. The difference between the two interpretations One of the starting points of the present is due partly to the structure of the ancient paper is Vidholmt dissertation of 1 998 ; a result monuments, partly to an analogy to the of the quantitative analysis of BronzeAge graves historically known cultural landscape, where in north-eastern Smiland is that one place appears the valleys of the Vdstervik district (Tjust unique compared to the rest of the region, hundred) to a great extent stand out as a rather namely, Sniickedal in Misterhult parish. The prosperous landscape with the establishment of monumental antiquities within a limited area manors during the Middle Ages, and with an are without parallel in the coastal area which has expansion of manors during the 19th century. been investigated (Fig. 3). Misterhult parish Misterhult parish does not show any equivalent 30 DAG\rrDHoLM &JoACHTM REGNELL '*-.,* Fig. 3. Bronze Age grave monuments at Sneckedal, Misterhulr parish, Smiland. structure: thelivelihood in thehistoricallyknown are, however, situated so near the present-day period has been fishery, limited agriculture and shoreline that they seem to have been erected - during the last few centuries - srone quarries. after the end of the Bronze Age (Dahlin 2000). The single manor has a building surviving from These conditions are treated in the conclusion the l8th century. This manor might be compared to the present paper. to the expansion of manors in the Vdstervik An aspect of the natural resources of district, which has such an extent that irs Misterhult parish has been treated in previous characteristic sryle ofarchitecture has been given research, namely, the copper mining at a term of its own, the "Tjust Empire style". This Solstadstrcim, which was carried on undl the fact is mentioned in order to illustrate the beginning of the 20th century: there might be a difference between the basis for supply of the hypothetical connecdon between the occurrence two areas ofinvestigation and - above all - to ofcopper and the rich BronzeAge. It has notyet illustrate the basis for supplyin Misterhult parish. been possible to test this question empirically. Of special importance for the interpretation Another open question concerns rhe of the structure of the Bronze Age monuments frequency of finds of precious metal in the of Misterhult is the fact that the relatively vast investigation area. In the current analysis of area of the parish lacks Iron Age grave fields of a prehistoric landscapes, with a dialectic rype that is frequent within the municipaliry of relationship betvqeen centre and periphery, the Vdstervik, north ofMisterhult. The magnifi cent analysis ofprecious metals play a very important establishment ofthe BronzeAge in the Misterhult role. In the investigation area of the present area therefore seems to lack condnuiry to rhe paper no such analysis is possible: occasional Iron Age. Occasional cairns of Bronze Age type hoards ofthe BronzeAge occur in Loftahammar GRAVE MONUMENTS AND LANDSCAPE IN SoUTHEASTERN SITTEDEN 3I and Hjorted parishes. No such find is known mounds of fire-cracked stones are registered: from Misterhult parish. The reason for this lack they are parts of the ancient monuments with of knowledge is a matter of source criticism: cairns and stone settings, in one case in the Misterhult parish is cultivated to a small degree. Sniickedal area. The occasional occurrence of The conventional background ofrich hoards is this type of ancient monument in this specific therefore missing, as they were to a great extent environment should be related to the grave found and registered in connection with ritual and possibly to funeral pyres (cf. Kaliff agriculture at the beginning ofthe 2Oth century, 1997, p.58). Regarding the occurrence offire- or even earlier. Offerings of metals and of other cracked stones in this environment as a proof of material certainly took place during prehistoric settlement activities would be a misunder- time, but there is no basis for such places to standing of the same type as the interpretations stand out against the current archaeological of the early 20th century, where mounds of fire- record ofthe area. cracked stones in central Sweden were taken as Another question of importance for remains of settlements, although they have later interpretation of the grave and settlement on turned out to be situated in grave structure can be touched upon, namely, the environments (cf. Carlsson 2001, p. 38). To sum mounds of fire-cracked stones. In north-eastern up, the occasional occurrence of fire-cracked Smiland there are mounds offire-cracked stones stones at Sndckedal does not admit any primarily in the parishes surrounding Vdstervik, interpretation of settlement and supply in this but even there at a low frequency compared with afea. the amount of known grave monuments and In connection with the first analysis of the rock carvings (Vidholm 1998, p. 99). Further prehistory of Misterhult, a preliminary pollen to the south on the Smilandcoastline the amount analysis from the Snlckedal areawas carried out, of registered mounds of this rype decreases and but this did not give concrete evidence of vanishes, a fact which is probably related to the agriculture in prehistoric time (Magnusson ambitions of the survey of ancient monuments 1986). in Vidholmt dissertation the inter- at the end ofthe 1970s (Eklund 2001,p.257). pretation ofthe history ofvegetation is expressed But the investigations connected with the with caution, although with a preliminary construction of the new highway F.22 to the assumption that the lack of evidence of south of Kalmar have yielded new evidence of a agriculture strengthens the interpretation of mixture of mounds of fire-cracked stones of Sniickedal as a central place of religious central Swedish type and areas with fireplaces importance. The empirical starting point for the and hearth-pits of Danish or Scanian rype. In present paper is a new palaeoecological one of the mounds of fire-cracked stones from investigation of the Bronze Age of north-eastern the E22 project there was a find of human Smiland, which is based on a pollen analysis bones. Some of these areas with hearths were partly from the area of the big cemetery of situated by prehistoric wetlands.
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